Conquest
by bluebuff
Summary: It was his greatest hour...he had toppled the most powerful government in the world. Yet why did he keep asking himself, 'Is this the right thing to do'


A/N: I dedicate this story to DarkGoddess2002 and mathiasgranger the only two reviewers for my other story _The Dark Lord Triumphant _(which is the prequel to this). You've been waiting for this…don't deny it.

**Disclaimer: **Yes, it's true, I own Harry Potter. It's all mine! It's…my precious…(laughs at the absurdity of statement)

**Warnings: **Character death, Dark!Harry, and lots of angst. Oh and if you don't like the idea of "Lord Harry Potter" embarking upon a campaign of world conquest, then just click that 'X' in the upper-right hand corner. (upper-left for you macintosh users)

**Also, if you haven't read _The Dark Lord Triumphant_ I suggest you read that first, then it'll make more sense.**

The Dark Lord Tormented 

An ominous mushroom cloud hung in the air.

Those fools never should have resisted.

Now, they had reaped their reward.

A crater, 140 meters in diameter, was all that was left of the American Ministry of Magic.

That and the various debris and smoke that was associated with a nuclear explosion.

A figure in a long black cloak strode though the wreckage, dispassionately observing those screaming and flailing on the ground. Radiation was killing them ever so slowly, practically cooking their bodies. He laughed scornfully. Only the weak were affected by such things.

The Dark Lord basked in his greatest victory yet.

The most powerful and influential government in the world had finally fallen at his feet.

_Ahhh…_ he thought to himself. If there was one thing muggles got right, it was warfare. Their methods had proven most useful in his crusade against the corrupt and prejudiced Wizarding World. Aircraft, explosives, heavy firearms, and weapons of mass destruction were things wizards had very little comprehension of. After years of ignoring the muggles, wizards had finally come to realize how much their ignorance would cost them.

_Hermione would be proud of all the research I put into this. _He smiled at the thought. Yes…she would be proud.

It amazed him even now, how one attack could destroy the entire governing structure of the America's magical regime.

Tactical nuclear strikes were truly a force to be reckoned with.

20 kilotons of pure explosive force. Beautiful.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. _No! I will not take pleasure from killing innocents!_ It was a mantra that he constantly repeated to himself. Of all the things he was certain of, he knew for sure that Hermione would _never_ approve of the deaths of innocent bystanders. It was collateral damage. It was unavoidable, but it would be a last resort.

It had been frightening at first, but he found out that taking lives was having less effect on him than before. It was as if he grew to _like _killing. But he knew that could never happen. If he was to remain true to the woman he loved, no, the woman he _loves_, he would have to remind himself of his true goal. He was not like Tom Riddle. He didn't seek power. He sought out justice.

Harry thought back to his decision to use nuclear force. _Was this right? _Asked a small part of his mind, the one that unnervingly had _her_ voice. _Of course this is right, you've brought order and stability to another region!_ said a much louder voice. Yes…it was the right thing to do. Harry had been listening to that voice for ten years, and it had never steered him wrong.

He had never resorted to such means before. During his conquest of Europe, it was mostly a series of raids with his auror forces and the occasional air strike on muggle buildings.

Nations such as France and Germany had fallen due to rapid strikes at the power base of their respective governments.

Harry remembered walking up to the devastated Élysée Palace. Having ordered an air strike with GR7 Harrier fighters, he watched as the missiles from RAF squadron #4 tore the building apart. One of his supporters then arose to take the Presidency.

Germany had become his the exact same way, the Reichstag obliterated while it was in session.

_Muggle governments are dreadfully easy to manipulate, Hermione would be insulted at the lack of a challenge._ He thought to himself.

Of course, their magical counterparts were slightly harder to win over, but liberal dosages of assassination and blackmail had brought them over to his side.

Spain and Italy were one of his few allies. Their leaders, disillusioned by the same faults he had seen in the British ministry, had happily joined his cause, bolstering his ranks considerably.

Eastern Europe, still under the yoke of reactionary pro-pureblood regimes, had been a pain in the arse. It had taken him the better part of four years to subjugate Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. But he knew that their extensive knowledge of the Dark Arts and their dominant Vampire population would work to his advantage.

Defeating the Bulgarians was quite the experience. Led by Viktor Krum, they had put up a determined resistance in the cities of Plovdiv and Varna. Harry had been prepared to spare Krum's life. After all, if he was worthy in the eyes of Hermione, then he did deserve a little leniency. But the fool had tried to use the same argument Ron had used in Britain. That ensured his long, painful death at the hands of some of the most ruthless vampires that resided in the Rila Mountains of Bulgaria.

By the end of 2003, All of Europe was behind him and ready to spread justice to the world.

There was just one great obstacle that stood in his way.

The United States of America.

The Americans would prove to be his greatest challenge.

The United States government had proven to be quite a dilemma. Unlike their older, corrupted European counterparts, most of the American politicians were contrary to popular belief, pure in their objectives and methods. It was only the few who were truly twisted and cruel, influencing Congress to achieve their own selfish ends.

He couldn't simply kill their national representatives and invade. No, the Americans were made of sterner stuff. Adding to his difficulties was the freedom of press in the former colonies. Unlike Britain, the media was never controlled. It was free to print what it wanted, wherever and whenever.

This warranted a different, much more subtle plan.

He would have to spread his influence into their Senate and House of Representatives. When he had enough support, he could play politics and peacefully take the reins of their country and steer them into safer waters.

Hermione would've approved, and if he were lucky, not a single drop of blood would have to be shed.

Of course, when was luck ever on Harry Potter's side?

Where had it all gone wrong?

One minute his candidate for president had received a majority vote by a landslide and it seemed that everything would go according to plan.

Then in a surprise maneuver, the soon-to-be-evicted-President, along with his magical equivalent, had launched a series of attacks on Britain and Europe.

Squads of American aurors were detected in Britain, as their F-22 stealth fighters bombarded Lisbon and the Portuguese coast, preparing for an amphibious invasion.

That had sparked a four-year war, and by it's end, over a million people had lost their lives. The Iberian Peninsula was devastated, Ireland was aflame in constant warfare, and Norway was being raided periodically by American forces.

In the last stages of the war, Harry was strained to cut his losses. His allies were starting to lose their faith. _Idiots! _He had thought, _They lack the drive and resilience to accomplish anything!_

Reluctantly, Harry used the only option he had. He had to bring the muggle President to his knees, and the only way to do that was to destroy their nation's capabilities of fighting back.

It made his heart heavy to do so, but he had written a list of targets and had handed it to his generals. His desperate, final strike would ensure victory, but it would cost thousands of more lives.

Andrews Air Force Base, Virginia. Where the President's jet Air Force One was stationed.

Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia and Charleston Naval Weapons Station, South Carolina, home to America's ballistic missile submarines.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hawaii, headquarters of the U.S.'s Pacific Fleet.

Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Home base to the muggle 82nd Airborne Division, 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, and the elite 17th Auror Division.

Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. Where the Eleventh Air Force and the 3rd Wing were stationed, along with a small battalion of American Unspeakables.

The E-Ring of the Pentagon, which comprised of the most important command facilities the muggle military depended on.

These targets could be taken on through auror raids and air strikes. But one military facility would have to be eliminated through different means.

Colorado Springs, with a population of 570,000 people, 5 military installations, the headquarters of North America's Aerospace Defense Command, and the location of the magical government's chief auror training facilities was his largest and toughest target. NORAD would also be the organization that would lead the counter-strike against Britain. Unfortunately for NORAD, their central location in the Rocky Mountains and their near-unbreakable magical wards made it impossible for Harry to attack it through conventional means. After hours of inner struggle, he gave the order for the HMS Vigilant, a Vanguard class ballistic submarine stationed in the Gulf of Mexico, to launch its Trident II D-5 SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile).

The results had been instantaneous.

Muggle news networks were worked up into a frenzy as report after reportcame in, detailing attack after attack upon the both muggle and magical America.

The final blow had come upon the American Ministry of Magic. One of the most magically protected buildings in the world, it was resistant to nearly any type of attack, magical or muggle. There was just one method the ward-makers had overlooked.

Located in Boston, the non-descript building was now the very crater Harry was walking around now.

Invisibility charms were the perfect stealth mechanism. No one saw the F-16 fire an abnormally large projectile into the city.

That was a mere hour ago.

Now, as he stood at the precipice of the crater, he reveled in his victory once more. Another wayward government subjugated, and he could now bring peace.

The muggle President had already capitulated, and his objectives had been fulfilled.

Then that annoying part of his brain asked him again. _Is this the right thing? Would Hermione have wanted this?_

The other side of his mind argued fiercely. _Of course. You've brought order, peace, stability, and equality into America. They will all be thankful for that._

Yes…he had brought order and peace. It was the right thing to do.

_No it wasn't _said the questioning part of his mind.

_Silence!_ Someone with responsibilities like his shouldn't be bickering with himself.

He _knew_ what he was doing was right.

He _knew _that though some might disagree with his actions, that it was the only option left.

He _knew_ that Hermione would've wanted this.

Right?

_Yes! _He thought angrily, he had made a promise to her, the day she…died…that he would do everything to create a better world. The world he _knew_ she would've wanted.

Harry looked up.

The mushroom cloud was still there.

It would become a symbol of anguish and pain for the rest of the world. They would resist him even more. The narrow-minded fools…they would have to be taken care of.

After all, it was his mission…for Hermione.

A/N: Leave your reviews please! I'm starved for them. Criticism and such welcome!

I know many of you will think that this is a little far-fetched, but I've always wanted to have Harry go off and conquer the world. It's a plot that hasn't left my head for months.

Concerning the emotional battles going on, I was trying to keep Harry fighting an internal struggle (thus the title 'Tormented' though I think the title could use a change) where the Hermione part of him is telling him that he's wrong, while a more sinister, darker part of him is encouraging him to keep up his dark crusade. Thus, his reluctance to kill millions of people. Nevertheless, he does it anyway. After all, its 'just' collateral damage.

If you were desperately waiting for _The Dark Lord Arisen_ (because you want to know just exactly how it all started) I'm sorry, but I'm going away for the next three weeks so I can do my summer homework without being distracted by fanfiction. So PLEASE wait for I will be back by February 20th.


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